Ascension of the Spirit: A Collection of Vignettes
by ZeldaDragon
Summary: Just as the title says, a collection of vignettes. Four: It’s crazy how love can make a person act. And I am crazy in love with her.
1. With You

_**Ascension of the Spirit – A Collection of Vignettes**_

**_I've decided to write a few vignettes. I'm not sure of how many there will be total, but I know of at least two more to be added within the next few weeks as they're written. All will center around Kyo and/or Arisa Uotani. They will probably be pretty short…but that's what a vignette is, after all._**

_**Stay tuned:)**_

**xxxx**

_**Vignette One: With You**_

**_Summary_:** **I don't really know how it happened…how the curse was obliterated. But somehow it was. And now I'm lying on the sofa in my apartment with a young woman in my arms.**

**A/N: This little piece is set quite in the future. It's told through Kyo's PoV, but I purposely left the woman somewhat ambiguous. I know who she is in my mind, but I'm going to let all you readers have your own take. ;)**

**Very short and _very_ fluffy. Enjoy.**

xxxxx

I don't really know how it happened…how the curse was obliterated. But somehow it was. And now I'm lying on the sofa in my apartment with a young woman in my arms. It's nice, being able to feel her tucked against my chest. I notice every little movement she makes. Like now. Now she's stirring, coming out of her light sleep.

She sighs, looking around for a moment before tilting her head to glance at me. "The sun when down," she murmurs.

"A few hours ago, actually."

She smiles that bright smile of hers and pulls her legs closer to her body. "I don't want to move."

"Then don't." I tighten my arms around her waist and rest my cheek against her blonde hair. I feel her muscles relax again as she leans back against me.

"I want to stay forever here with you."

"Is that from a song?" I ask, poking her stomach gently.

She chuckles. "Maybe. What, don't you think I can say something so cheesy myself?"

"Not you, no."

"True…" She laughs again. "You know, I think you need to put a picture on that wall."

As she points to the wall directly across from her, I feel an odd tug at my heart. "I'll let you decorate."

"Oh, you shouldn't let me do that. I don't have any sense of style when it comes to wall space."

"More than I do, I bet."

Silence. A comfortable one. It's so wonderful to be able to lie here with her like this. I know she thinks so, too.

"Are we safe here?" she asks suddenly.

"What do you mean?" I press my nose into her hair now, taking in its flowery scent.

"From your family…from people who would hurt us."

I'm silent for a moment, thinking of the proper thing to say. She always has been worried about safety. Maybe it has something to do with her more violent past. I've never asked, instead just taking it as it is. "I'd never let anyone hurt you, you know."

"I know." She reaches up to press her palm against my cheek. "And I'd never let anyone hurt _you_."

"I'm glad we can have each other's backs."

"Me too. That in and of itself makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." I can hear the smile in her voice and can't help but laugh at her.

"I didn't know you _could_ feel 'all warm and fuzzy,'" I say, playing along.

"Oh sure. I feel warm and fuzzy all the time now." She looks up at me and even in the darkness of the room I can see her eyes glinting mischievously. Without warning, she lifts herself out of my arms and turns over so that her chest is pressed against mine, pressing her legs to either side of my hips (which was somewhat difficult with the back of the couch blocking her on one side). "I love you," she whispers before leaning down to kiss me.

Her kisses always take me by surprise. Even in the length of time we've been together, I can never get enough of her taste, the feeling of her lips against mine. I know from this simple fact that we were meant to be together. Sappy, yes. But we are soul mates, I'm sure of it. All that joking and fighting…who would have guessed? I'm glad I decided to take the challenge and go further. Or maybe that was her? Whoever it was made the right choice.

Her lips leave my mouth and press a short trail down my neck before she pulls away. "What are you thinking about, Kyon-Kyon?"

I grin and brush some of that golden hair behind her ear. "You. How we acted when we were younger."

"We fought. Was else was there than that?" She settles her arms around my neck and stays close, her nose brushing against mine. "The past is in the past. Let it stay there."

"As you wish." I lift a hand from her back and put it behind her neck to draw her down for another kiss. She obliges me before she pulls back again. "You okay?"

She shrugs and shakes her head to dismiss my concern. "I'm just a bit chilly, is all."

"Do you want me to get you a blanket, or your jacket?"

She looks at me with those bright eyes, suddenly brimming with tears I know she'll never let fall. "No…I'm happy right here. Just hold me, okay?"

"You're losing that tough-girl attitude and getting all soft on me!" I cried jokingly.

"I am not!" she shot back, twisting in my arms again so her back was against me. "I'm just taking pleasure from the fact that you finally _can_ hold me. I could still beat you to a bloody pulp if I wanted to."

"Oh, please. We both know that I'd win." I pull her close against me. Of course, we'd never really brawled like that before. We had such different fighting styles…me with my martial arts, her with her 'do-whatever-it-takes' ways. There's no telling who would beat who. We're probably pretty evenly matched when it really comes down to it.

"Sure you would…sure you would." Her voice is quiet now as she turns her head to press her face against my neck. "Have you heard from any of them?"

"Hmm?" It takes me a second to realize what she's talking about. "My family? No, not really. Why do you ask?"

She shrugs. "I dunno. Just curious, I guess."

"If I do hear from anyone, you'll be the first to know." I kissed the top of her head.

After a brief silence, she murmurs, "You smell good." Her breath tickles my skin.

"What do I smell like?" I ask, holding back a shiver of pleasure.

"Like yourself. It's nice."

I smile and tighten my hold on her even more. Her body fits perfectly against mine. Simply amazing, this feeling.

"I love you."

**End vignette one.**


	2. Little Did I Know

_**Vignette Two: Little Did I Know…**_

**_Summary_: I have fallen in love with her. I mean, she may be a mean, sarcastic gang girl, but she's _my_ mean, sarcastic gang girl. **

**A/N: And here we have the second vignette for my collection. Painfully short, I know, but I'm writing all the scenes that play out in my mind. Some are longer than others. ;)**

**Kyo's PoV again.**

xxxx

Ten years ago if you were to ask me, "Do you think you'd ever fall in love with that Uotani girl?" I'd have laughed in your face. But now…

I _have_ fallen in love with her. It was hard not to. I mean, she may be a mean, sarcastic gang girl, but she's _my_ mean, sarcastic gang girl. I didn't think it would happen. I tried so hard to ignore that flutter in my stomach every time she smiled or whacked me over the head. I tried to convince myself that I hated her. That we fought because we couldn't really get along. But then something happened to change that.

I remember the time I caught her walking home after school. It was dark, storm clouds building on the horizon. The wind had picked up, but it wasn't raining yet. She had stopped at the little park a few blocks away. Sometimes I'd like to cut through there…the scenery was nice, and it was a good way to clear my mind. She was just sitting there under a big tree, leaning against the trunk with a book open in front of her. A novel.

It gets hazy there, but my next sequential memory is of me sitting under that tree with her. She looked up at me and put her book down. She smiled – the first real smile she had ever directed at me.

"Hey, Orangey. What are you doing out here?"

Her voice was so calm…so relaxed. She had never been like that at school or with our little 'group.' I always liked to think that she was a sour Yankee with no emotions. I was wrong. I told her that I was just passing through on my way home.

Somehow I opened up to her that day. Spilled my heart. Or at least some of it. Told her how angry I was with Yuki, how much I appreciated everything Tohru had done for my family. She was so accepting of me, as though she knew that one day everything that concerned me would concern her, too. She was perceptive enough to offer me advice. Little did I know that one day that advice would become my saving grace.

Little did I know that one day I would ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.

She offered me her umbrella when it finally started to rain. It was under that umbrella that we shared our first kiss.

**End vignette two.**


	3. Unguarded

_**Vignette Three: Unguarded**_

**_Summary_: "Hey Orangey, wanna skip gym with me?"**

**A/N: This little bit – longer than the last, but not by much – is told through Arisa Uotani's PoV. Just a little drabble that I thought up as _I_ skipped BPE today. I'm a bad girl sometimes, I know. ;)**

**Oh, and for those interested, see my bio page for a link to pictures of my Halloween costume…Uo/Kyoko's Suicide Squad Jacket. It's worth a look, if you're up for it. **

xxxxx

"Hey Orangey, wanna skip gym with me?" I looked over to where the Sohma was leaning against the wall. "I really don't want to run today. It's too hot outside."

Yuki shot Kyo a fierce glare. "I'm not bailing you out when you get caught."

"Don't worry, Princy, I _never_ get caught." I winked at him before looking back at Kyo. "Come on, I know you want to. Besides, I already know Tohru and Hana won't do it."

The boy shrugged. "I guess. Better than spending the whole class with that stupid rat."

As usual, this comment went over my head. The whole cat-rat thing was so confusing sometimes. Why did Yuki even tolerate being called a rat? It made no sense. Oh well. "Good," I said, breaking my thoughts. "Let's go."

I waited patiently as he pushed himself away from the wall and came toward me. "We'll be out back. Come get us when class is over."

Kyo came up at my side. "'Out back?' Where is that?"

"Right where I said, stupid. Out back – behind the school."

"Oh." He furrowed his eyebrows as he followed me. "And you've never been caught?"

"Nope. I used to be a student delinquent, remember? I know all the ins and outs of cutting classes…among other things." I left it at that and he didn't question me further.

The sun was glaringly bright as we exited through doors beside the currently unused janitor hall. I trudged cheerfully up and over a small hill until the building was out of sight. Even though I was long past skipping the more important core classes, I still got a thrill each time I got away with the little ones. I'm not a bad girl…really…I'm not. Hear how serious I am?

"This is it, huh?" Kyo asked, looking around in appreciation at my little spot. It was back in the woods, where we wouldn't be seen. The trees, sparse as they were, gave a gentle respite from the sun and heat.

"Yeah. Found it first year." I pointed to my left. "If you keep going that way you get to the main road. You could leave and go home now, if you wanted. I've done it once or twice."

"Haven't your parents figured it out by now?"

I exhaled loudly. "Don't you know even the smallest thing about me?" At his obstinate silence, I chucked and said, "I live alone, smart guy."

He looked at me. Somewhere in that thick scull I think he finally figured out that family matters were a sore spot for me. I could see in his eyes that the same went for him. He never looked at me so unguardedly like that. It was kinda unnerving.

"You know what?" I asked as this small revelation sunk in. His eyes never left mine. "I think you and I could be pretty good friends."

That was the first time I had ever seen him smile.

**End vignette three.**


	4. Crazy

_**Vignette Four: Crazy**_

**_Summary_: It's crazy how love can make a person act. And I am crazy in love with her. **

**Author's Notes: Well, this is the last one I have that's already written. Due to my very busy schedule, I won't have much time to write many more. So here's the deal. Five reviews and I'll write a new one within the next few weeks. Ten reviews and you'll have a new one within two weeks, the soonest I can promise anything. How does that sound? Oh, and I randomly post longer one-shots here about this pairing, so check for those if I don't get around to adding more here. ;)**

**This addition is told from Kyo's PoV. Enjoy!**

**xxx**

She's so very beautiful. I can't stop looking at her. Her hair, her eyes, her skin, her lips, her fingers, her arms…everything. She's just perfect. And she's mine.

I never would have thought it possible. We used to fight all the time. I'd get angry every time I saw her. I'd turn and walk away before she could get close. But, as fate would have it, that anger turned to excitement…excitement to nervousness…nervousness to anxiousness. I'd become frustrated when I couldn't see her, when someone stepped into my line of sight of cut off my view. It was stupid at the time, but I didn't understand what was happening.

And then, one night when I met up with her, Tohru, and Hanajima at the store, she and I got into a huge fight. It was mostly my fault, I knew. I called her stupid. And of course she had to stand up for herself. That's what I had been counting on. But things got out of hand. She dragged me outside. That's when I started to worry. We screamed at each other. And then she stepped right up to my face. I thought she was going to slap me or something. But she kissed me. And I didn't push her away.

I didn't even try to stop. That was what I had been waiting for. And right then, I was in heaven. It was as she slipped her tongue between my lips that I realized that I had progressed from a silly crush to something much bigger. I was in love with her. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this young woman. Where her hands were touching my face I my skin burned with pleasure. That was right. That was so very right.

Even now, years later, I'm still amazed that I can kiss her whenever I want. I can't hug her, though. Yet, anyway. She did, of course, find out about the curse. There was no hiding that. But she just laughed. Said it made sense, that she suddenly understood so much more about me. And loved me all the better for it.

My dear Arisa. I've decided to propose to her. I don't care what the family thinks, what Akito thinks. I avoided him after graduation, won freedom with help from my master, and I could do it again. He wouldn't hurt her…not if I could help it. He would never, ever take her away from me. I'd sooner kill myself, and I have no intention of doing so any time in the future.

It's crazy how love can make a person act. And I am crazy in love with her.

_**End vignette four.**_


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